Decorative strip lighting



March 10, 1970 s. SZENTVER! DECORATIVE STRIP LIGHTING Filed June 14, 1966 United States Patent 3,500,036 DECORATIVE STRIP LIGHTING Istvan S. Szentveri, 110 Fairlawn, Dollard des Ormeaux,

Quebec, Canada Filed June 14, 1966, Ser. No. 557,500 Int. Cl. F21p 1/02; A47g 33/16; A47f 11/10 U.S. Cl. 240- 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to a lighting fixture, more particularly for decorative strip lighting.

It is often necessary to provide a plurality of substantially equally spaced light bulbs disposed along a line of any desired curvature to provide a decorative effect or for use in illuminated signs to form the letters and numbers, or to illuminate the lines of a drawing or the like.

Up to now the usual practice of obtaining such decorative strip lighting was to fix individual light sockets, at a required distance apart and along the desired curved or wavy line, to a rigid support surface in holes provided in said surface. Thus, the production of such light fixtures was time-consuming and very expensive.

It is, therefore, the general object of the present invention to provide a lighting fixture for obtaining decorative strip lighting, in a very easy and economical manner, and wherein the row of light bulbs may be arranged in accordance with any curved line to follow any decorative pattern, lettering or drawing.

Another object of the present invention resides in the provision of an elongated flexible strip of dielectric material provided with substantially equally spaced bores opening at the exposed surface of said strip, said bores adapted to be used as sockets for the base of light bulbs, said strip further incorporating means for connecting the light bulbs in parallel to a supply of electricity.

Another object of the present invention resides in the provision of a strip of the type mentioned above, which forms itself a decorative molding to be applied to a wall or other surfaces to be decorated with the strip lighting of the invention.

Another object of the present invention resides in the provision of a method of applying decorative strip lighting to a wall or the like, including forming on said wall a raised molding longitudinally curved in accordance with any desired decorative pattern, forming in said molding an outwardly opening channel running longitudinally of the molding and placing the above-described strip in said channel, while flexing the strip to conform to the channel.

The foregoing and other objects of the present invention will become more apparent during the following disclosure and by referring to the drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a partial perspective view, partially in cross-section, of a decorative molding provided with a deporative lighting strip in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a partial perspective view of the lighting strip itself in accordance with the first embodiment;

FIGURE 3 is a cross section of the lighting strip in accordance with a second embodiment;

FIGURE 4 is a cross section of the lighting strip in accordance with a third embodiment;

3,500,036 Patented Mar. 10, 1970 "ice FIGURE 5 is a top plan view of the lighting strip of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 6 is a cross section of the lighting strip in accordance with a fourth embodiment;

FIGURE 7 is a cross section of the lighting strip in accordance with a fifth embodiment; and

FIGURE 8 is a cross section of the lighting strip in accordance with a sixth embodiment.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings in which like reference characters indicate like elements throughout, the first embodiment shown in FIGURES 1, 2, and 5 consists of an elongated body or strip 1 made of a dielectric material which is flexible, such as plasticized polyvinyl chloride of a Shore hardness of 89, although other synthetic resin materials which are flexible and electric-insulating, can be used.

This strip 1 is preferably extruded as a bar of rectangular or square cross section and one face is drilled to provide a plurality of blind bores 2, of circular crosssection, which are substantially equally spaced along the length of strip 1.

Bores 2 are adapted to receive the base 3 of a conventional light bulb 4, such that the filament of the light bulb will be exposed at the top face of strip 1. Bores 2 have an enlarged external portion 9 in order to allow for recessing the bulb slightly more with respect to the exposed face 1' of strip 1.

A pair of naked, round, flexible electric wires 5 run longitudinally of strip 1 and are exposed at each side of the several blind bores 2, so as to make electric contact with the base 3 of the light bulb 4 and to engage the threads of said base 3 to hold the light bulb in position within the bores.

A third wire 6, also round and flexible, runs longitudinally of the strip 1 and is exposed at the bottom of the bores 2 to come in electric contact with the center terminal of the light bulbs. The wires issue from the strip at the ends thereof in order to be connected to an electric supply, or to be connected to the similar wires 5, 6 of an adjacent strip 1. One wire 5 can be cut at the end faces of strip 1 to serve only as holding means for the bulbs 4.

If it is desired to dispose strips 1 in adjacent endto-end relationship, the bottom end corner 7 can be cut off to make room for connecting the adjacent wires 5, 6 of the two strips, while the top corners of said adjacent strips will abut each other. Also, the strips 1 may be cut if necessary to space the blind bores at the ends of two adjacent strips a distance equal to the standard distance between the remaining bores 2.

In the production of strip 1, the latter is provided with slits 8 made through the body of the strip and running from the location of the wires to the external lateral surfaces of the strip. Slits 8 serve to insert the wires 5, 6 in position within strip 1. FIGURE 3 shows another embodiment wherein bulbs 4 are more exposed than in the first embodiment, strip 10 having bores 11 of uniform diameter. Also, FIG. 3 shows that wires 12, 13 may be inserted through slits 14 which extend to the bottom face of strip 10.

FIGURE 4 shows another embodiment in which the slits 15 open at the lateral faces of the strip 16. Also, the wires 17, 18 are in the shape of flat ribbons to have a better hold on the screw-threaded base 3 of the light bulb 4. FIGURE 4 shows also that the bores 19 may have an enlarged external portion 20 in order to sink the light bulb a little more within the bore or with respect to the top face of the strip.

FIGURE 6 shows a strip 21 provided with equally spaced blind bores 22, of circular cross section, and

- 3 longitudinally runnning wires 23, the pair of wires 23 being inserted through slits 25 opening at both lateral faces of the strip 21 and exposed at the sides of all the bores 22 near the top face thereof, said bores adapted to receive another type of conventional light bulb 26,

of elongated shape and provided with two electrically insulated resilient contact tongues 27 upwardly arranged so as to make resilient electric contact with the respective wires 23.

These light bulbs 26 are, for instance, used in telephone apparatuses for illuminating the dial.

FIGURE 7 shows still another embodiment in which a strip 28 is provided with a plurality of equally spaced through bores 29, of circular cross section. The bottom face of the strip 28 is provided with a longitudinally extending channel 30. Each through bore 29 receives with a tight fit a metal socket 31 which is either inwardly threaded or has bayonet slots for receiving the screw-threaded base of a light bulb 4 or the bayonet base of a light bulb.

The socket 31 is exposed in the channel 30 and is provided with terminals 32 and 33, terminal 32 being electrically connected to the socket and terminal 33 being insulated therefrom, so as to form a center terminal for the light bulb.

Insulated wires 34 run longitudinally within channel 30 and are connected to the terminals 32 and 33 of each socket 31, so that the latter are connected in parallel.

The channel 30 may be thereafter =filled with putty or closed by a cover 35 adhered to the strip 20.

FIGURE 8 shows another embodiment in which a strip 36 is provided with stepped bores 37 for receiving light bulbs 4, the light bulbs being held in position by pairs of Wires 38 engaging the screw threads at the sides of the light bulb base and also making a first electrical contact therewith. A third wire 39 runs along the bottom of the bores 37 to engage the center terminal of the bulbs 4. Wires 38, 39 are inserted through slits 40 opening at the underface of strip 36.

Each bulb 4 may be covered by a coloured or noncoloured transparent or translucent dome 41 removably aflixed to strip 36. Dome 41 has a hole 41' for ventilation. A dome may be provided to cover several adjacent light bulbs, in which case the dome would be flexible longitudinally.

The strip of any embodiment is tightly fitted in a groove 42 made in a decorative molding 43 of any desired curvature and applied to a wall or other surface to be decorated. The strips may come in standard lengths and arranged in end-to-end relation and cut to the length of any specific groove 42.

The strip may be made an integral part of molding 43 which would be of flexible dielectric material.

The system in accordance with the invention has been found to reduce considerably the work involved in providing decorative strip lighting.

The lighting strips may be used in lettering and in association with all kinds of drawings to illuminate the lines and for other similar applications wherein it is desired to provide a line of light bulbs arranged in accordance with any curvature.

The strip in accordance with the invention has been found to be capable of being bent at a radius as short as 3". In the systems in accordance with FIGURES 1, 3, 4, 6 or 8, when bending the strips, the wires become slightly displaced during bending, but jump back into their proper position. The embodiment of FIGURE 4 requires a somewhat larger bending radius, but has the advantage of providing a firmer hold on the light bulb base.

While preferred embodiments in accordance with the invention have been illustrated and described, it is understood that various modifications may be resorted to without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A decorative strip lighting system comprising a moulding adapted to be applied to a wall or other sun face, said moulding having variable longitudinal curvature and having a groove running longitudinally of the moulding and opening at the exposed "face thereof, and an elongated strip made of dielectric flexible material tightly fitted within said groove of said moulding, said strip having an exposedface and having a plurality of holes opening at said exposed face and disposed longitudinally of the strip, said holes being substantially equally spaced and forming light bulb receiving sockets, flexible electric wires running longitudinally of the strip and means at each hole for parallel connection of the light bulbs to said wires, said wires issuing from said strip at the ends thereof for connection to an electric supply.

2. A decorative strip lighting comprising a strip having a first flat face adapted to be directly applied toa wall or other surface and a second flat face opposed and substantially parallel to said first flat face, said strip being flexible at least in a plane parallel to said faces, so as to be applied to a surface along a line of variable curvature, said strip provided with a plurality of spaced blind bores opening at said second face and arranged in a row longitudinally of the strip, said blind bores forming light bulb sockets for receiving the base of light bulbs, flexible electric wires running longitudinally within the strip, exposed at each bore and protruding therein to make an electric contact with the base of a light bulb inserted therein and to also hold said light bulb in position within the bore, said strip having slits opening at at least one face of said strip, extending through the strip and opening within said bores, said slits serving for insertion of said wires within the strip.

3. A decorative strip lighting as claimed in claim 2, wherein said slit opens at at least one lateral face of said strip.

4. A decorative strip lighting as claimed in claim 2, wherein said slit opens at said first flat face of said strip.

5. A decorative strip lighting as claimed in claim 2, wherein said wires include a pair of wires protruding within the bores at diametrically opposed lateral portions thereof.

6. A decorative strip lighting as claimed in claim 5, wherein said wires have a rounded cross section.

7. A decorative strip lighting as claimed in claim 5, wherein said wires have a flat ribbon-like cross section.

'8. A decorative strip lighting as claimed in claim 2, wherein said wires consist of a pair of wires exposed at diametrically opposed side zones of each bore to contact opposite sides of the rounded metal base of a light bulb and hold the same in the bore, and of a third wire exposed at the center of the bottom of the bore to contact the center terminal of the light bulb base, there being one slit associated with each wire.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,120,986 2/1964 Pusch.

2,312,454 3/1943 Trautner 339-59 XR 2,468,773 5/1949 Musinski 240l0 2,789,208 4/1957 Thatcher 24047 XR 2,860,233 11/1958 Johnson 240-7-l 2,963,572 12/1960 Rullo 240l0 3,003,056 10/1961 Resch 240l0 3,341,803 9/1967 Bustamante 339-21 NORTON ANSHER, Primary Examiner R. L. MOSES, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

